Character Details

Oh shoot, it's been a while since my last post. I've been busy. Particularly I've been busy revising the characters in my story.

On a recent Writing Excuses episode they talked about aksing multiple questions of your characters. A couple they suggested were favourite swear, what scares them, how would you describe them in 10 words. My friend and I have both been trying to improve our character writing so we sat down with our main characters and interviewed them using the following questions.

• How would they curse?
• Boil them down into ten descriptive words (Oily, strong, hungry, etc.)
• What is their opinion and history with magic?
• In what ways do they hold power over others?
• How would they describe their backstory to a friend? To a stranger?
• How do they react in emergencies? What would make them stop in their tracks?
• Who do they have allegiance to and why? Who is their best friend?
• What is their driver’s license appearance? Height, build, hair color?
• What do they do for fun when the plot isn’t looking? Guilty pleasures? Snacks?
• How do they decorate their personal spaces?
• What are they truly scared of losing? Certain people dying, sure, but what other things?
• Are they religious, spiritual, superstitious, realists, etc.? I.e. “Bad things always come in threes.”

It was a lot of work. More than I thought. There were times that I had to stop myself from saying that I'll just write on and see what comes up, my usual method. However, at the end, it was completely worth it. I feel like I can actually tell apart the knights of the round table and they feel more alive than just names on a page. Also writing Gwaine telling his backstory was so much fun.

Of course now I am in the process of going back through the story and making sure that what I have written reflects these choices. Not to mention using the opportunity to flesh them out now that I do know them better. It's proving interesting and self-consistency as I edit the early chapters while writing new chapters is going to be hard. Next steps is to do an abridged version of this for my secondary characters.


Favourite writing from this week:

“You know, he spoke often of you in his letters,” Nathaniel said. “He told me how you were a bright young lad with an aptitude for creative problem solving. And poor research techniques, but those could be improved upon.”

“It’s harder when you don’t already know every book in the library,” Merlin groused.
Nathaniel smiled quickly, but then looked more serious. “It made me wonder if you noticed the flaw in the mage hunter’s plan today?”

Merlin froze with his spoon still in his mouth. Flaw? What had he overlooked? Could Nathaniel tell it had been his own illusion? Merlin lowered the spoon and swallowed his mouthful of soup. Did he notice the slight burns left on Merlin’s wrists? Did he realise Merlin hadn’t slept in his room last night? William would’ve noticed, but he didn’t think Nathaniel would ever wait up for him to come home.

“Besides the illusion dropping when the ropes were untied?” Merlin asked, glad his voice sounded light, untroubled.

“True, that wasn’t particularly wise either. Though I think it was more foolish to imprison a member of the court. If I was trying to tell the king I captured a sorcerer, I would grab a lone peasant in the woods. Someone without a sword.” He stood and brought his bowl over to the basin for dirty dishes. “Although I suppose if I was better at illusionary magic and I had been captured, I would let him continue to court and only escape at the last minute so that he did meet his justice.”

Merlin felt his heart skip. He knew. Maybe not the whole truth but he knew. Hold on, he had said “If you were better at illusionary magic?” Merlin repeated. “You have the gift?”

“It’s very slight. My mother was a hedge witch.” He returned to the table. “And am I right in guessing that you have the gift too?”

Merlin nodded. He trusted William’s childhood friend, but it was still hard to say the words out loud.

On Timelines

Are you writing a story in which time is important? Are you writing a story in which you don't think time is really important but takes place over the course of more than a month? Have you written a timeline yet? Do it now.

I thought I could get away with just keeping track of seasons in this long Merlin fic, but I can't. So 121k words in, I have made a timeline. And oh my gosh it's a mess. I had to totally re-evaluate when evens happened or, more often, how much time passed between chapters. I had tried to avoid putting specific dates in, but every once in a while I found a date, or a day of the week and had to adjust. I should've done this ages ago. I thought I had learned this lesson after NaNoWriMo 2014, but apparently not.

Now I still have to figure out more precise dates on events that happened before the story, but I have an anchor point so this really helps. I expect next week will be a lot of fixing numbers mentioned in the story.

Favourite writing from this week:

Merlin and Aldrich appeared with their horses in a clearing two hours ride from Ealdor. It felt a bit weird, bringing someone else with to visit his mother. Arthur and Gwen had visited once. But that was Arthur’s idea. It was really more of a patrol that happened to take a slight detour. Otherwise, he travelled alone.

“I didn’t know you grew up so far from the city,” Aldrich said.

“It’s not even within Camelot.” Merlin laughed. “Technically Arthur’s not my king.”

“Residency within Camelot for ten years doesn’t change that?”

“Huh. It might.” Merlin thought for a few minutes, mentally running his fingers along the books in the library and flipping through pages. “Yeah, residency in Camelot for seven years makes be a subject of Camelot. Darn. I can’t tease Arthur about that any more.”

After two hours of talking and laughing and riding, they reached the edges of Ealdor. The crops were short as they rode through, but the sprouts looked strong. Merlin let his magic wash over the land and provide a little extra encouragement.

Attuned to the feel of his magic better than anyone else, Hunith immediately came out of her house and ran toward Merlin. He smiled and leapt off his horse to run to meet her.

“Merlin! It’s been so long.” She grabbed him in a tight embrace and ran her hand through his hair.

“Mother. I’ve missed you so much.” He, in turn, rested his cheek on the top of her head.
Then she pushed him away and raised a finger at him. “You have been slacking in your letter writing,’ she scolded. “Gilli has written me more than you have.”

“What?”

“And I had to hear from Gwaine about Arthur’s wedding. Yes, Gwaine wrote me a letter.” Hunith lowered her finger and placed both hands on her hips. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

Ah yes, the question for which there was no right answer. He could claim he was busy, she would ask if that meant too busy for his mother. He could say it got lost in transit, she would say he should’ve found another way to send it. He could say any number of things and she would have an instant rebuttal. Better to switch topics altogether. “I brought someone new this time,’ he said, beckoning Aldrich over.

He approached warily, knowing very well the look of the scolding mother.

“This is Aldrich,” Merlin introduced. “He is from Iseildur’s camp. Aldrich, this is my mother.”

“A pleasure to meet you, my lady.” He took the back of her hand and kissed it.

She blushed. “That’s really not, I’m no lady. Look around you.”

Merlin smiled. “Took me three years to stop him from regularly calling me ‘my lord’. I suggest you get used to it.”

Speaking, not telling.

It's been kinda a slow couple weeks of writing. The last week of January, I did WIP week and wrote another two chapters on an old story. It's still not done, but the final battle is planned out which is way better than it was two years ago. I've done some more editing on my other story and wrote a little bit more. I really am not liking this chapter and it's not doing what I want, but I think I just have to struggle through to the end of it and then let it sit before I look at it again.

The writing this week is from an early chapter in Twin Tales. I added more because I need to work on adding dialogue rather than telling the reader that the conversation happened.

Favourite writing from this week:

“Knowledge is never a waste. But you probably didn’t think of it because all the books on antidotes are hidden behind the mirror.”

Naturally. Anything that was an antidote to poisons would be considered too close to magic and thus would’ve been destined for the flames of the purge. Once again Merlin sent up a silent prayer of thanks for his father’s foresight to create this secret room.

Hidden behind a mirror than only Merlin could pass through were seven large bookshelves full of books on magic that William and his father had hid when the Purge began. There had been a logical system of organization on the shelves at one point, but Merlin was awful about putting books back in the right place so piles had built up on the ground.

Gently nudging the self-cleaning sword out of his way, he set down the books he had been looking through and started pulling books off the shelf that might relate to antidotes. When he had filled his arms, he returned to the desk in the main library, and William grabbed one off the stack to help him look. They still had until tomorrow but Merlin would also need to catch up on the other chores he’d missed when out on the ride. Not everything could be done with magic.

“Merlin, look at this one.” William pushed the book he was reading to the centre of the table. “It won’t work for everything, but it’s an enchantment to nullify the effects of the most common food poisons.”

“That’d be great.” He scanned the page. “This looks like it’ll detect most of the poisons I check Arthur’s food for anyway and a couple I don’t.”

“And the book suggests casting it on the plate itself. A simple rune will light up to indicate which poison was detected as well.”

“I can hide that with a concealment charm. It’s not a difficult spell. I’ll need to renew it every couple of months to make sure it’s optimal. But this is definitely what I’m looking for.”

“Better test it out in here before you run on down to the kitchens then and place a faulty enchantment on every plate,” William said, standing up from the table. He took out one of their plates and handed it to Merlin. “Go practice on this one. I’ll ask the physician for one of these poisons.”

“I still can’t believe he trusts you sometimes.” Merlin laughed. “It’s a good thing he believes in testing science.”

William smiled in return, a matching mischievous glint in his eyes. “A good thing indeed.”

NaNoWriMo Update

Just a a short update today. NaNo has been going well. I was able to write a lot of words while I was remote observing. Turns out the spectrometer involves a lot of hitting a button then waiting half an hour. So there was plenty of free time. And I was leading up to a battle which turned out really well. Or at least I humbly think so.
I have also confirmed who will be the ten individuals at the Round Table in my story and it is very exciting. Only one of them has not yet been introduced. I also made a new planning document since the previous one is mostly crossed off and it was getting hard to find the things I had not yet written. So a clear sign of progress. As if the 40k words written just this month didn't indicate that already.
And as soon as I finish this chapter I will have 52 chapters. That means that I can post once a week for a year and readers will still have not finished the story. I still intend to finish writing before I start posting, but it is nice to know that if I get impatient for feedback I have a large buffer.
This week I am sharing with you a section of my story leading up to the sword being pulled out of the stone. I loved writing it and I am pleased with how it turned out.


Favourite writing from this week:

“Is this another story you found in a book in the library that should’ve stayed buried? Because the last one you told was not nearly as interesting as you claimed.”

Merlin gaped at him. “I’ll have you know when I told Gwen the tale of the hydra she loved it.” He continued marching ahead, knowing Arthur was following even if his steps through the brush were quieter. “And no. This book was not buried. I think you will be familiar with some of it. It is about Brutus, the first king of Camelot.” He pushed a low hanging branch out of his way. “He conquered the land of Camelot from local nomadic groups and united them under one banner and securing the roads of trade. He had the citadel built up to present a show of force against invaders and prove that he and his descendants were here to stay.”

“Yes, Merlin I know the story. Everyone in Camelot knows the story.” Arthur shoved at a bush in his path. “I don’t see why this is important. And where are we going anyway?”

Merlin looked over his shoulder. “For once, just be patient and listen.” He faced forward just in time to duck under a thick branch. “Since you say you know the story, I will skip to the part you may not have heard. Laying on his deathbed, there were many who were praising the king, telling him that no king of Camelot would ever do as much for the land as he had done. Even his own son spoke of how he could never live up to his father.

“But the king spoke and he told them that he had been gifted with a vision of the future before he died and he wanted to share it with them. He said that someday in the future, a descendant of his would rule Camelot and this King would make Camelot a shining kingdom to be remembered throughout the ages. He told them to take him out to his favourite lake and there, with the last reserves of his legendary strength, he drove his sword into a rock. He said that one day a man would come to claim this sword, and that man would be the rightful king of Camelot. The one to be remembered.”

Merlin stopped speaking, letting the magic of the linger in the forest air. It felt like the world was waiting, holding its breath.

“That’s rubbish.” And the world was just punched in the gut. “Who would believe that?”

“Plenty of people,” Merlin retorted. “Are you calling the people of Camelot stupid?”

“A sword stuck in a rock? That’s impossible.”

Merlin smiled internally. He couldn’t have planned it any better. “Then what is that?”

Arthur stepped up beside where Merlin had stopped and looked into the small clearing. The land sloped gently downward to a sunlit circle of grass, within which laid a large stone. And in that stone, a sword.

Subconscious prompts

Prompt: Write a scene where a character lets go of something, literally or figuratively.

I've been falling behind on wordbound prompts, but mainly because the return of classes means I am on fire with my writing and therefore am not relying on the prompts to move forward. (Seriously, sitting in on the class you TA for is amazing concentrated writing time.) But apparently my brain has been paying more attention than I because I looked back at this prompt and realized it influenced my writing this week. Merlin is struggling to let go of being responsible for everything. Good thing he has Gwen.

In other news, I was bored and started looking up writing contests. I found a couple I might consider for next year, some ones with weekly prizes, and one or two that I might consider submitting my one good short story to. Maybe my nano from last year will eventually get submitted to one of them. But my goal for that story is publishing, so we will see. It needs more work before I send it off to someone professional.

Favourite writing from this week:

A week and a half later and routines had been settles into. Merlin woke up Arthur in the morning while Chet brought breakfast. Merlin sorted documents while Chet helped Arthur dress. Most other chores alternated between the two servants and Nerlin learned that he had more time to himself.

He spent his time writing letter to friends outside of Camelot and actually studying books of magic. He particularly enjoyed a book intended for teachers of magic covering the basics.

What he was enjoying most, however, was the chance to sit with Gwen at the joust celebrating the coronation.

He arrived late on purpose, lingering in the library before leisurely strolling out to the tournament ring. He waited for a break in the action before sliding onto the bench next to Gwen.

“Merlin!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m watching the joust.” He smiled widely at her.

She swatted his arm. “You know what I mean.”

“The people needed to see that Chet is officially Arthur’s servant now.” Merlin waved in the direction of the Royal stands. Arthur was sitting on a plain chair, not the overly ornate one Uther had preferred. Behind him, Chet was the image of a perfect servant. He saw when Chet saw his wave and the other man scowled slightly. “Arthur can’t stand not being about the compete,” Merlin explained. “He’s been complaining all week. I had to blackmail him in order to convince him that competing in disguise was not an option.”

“Who would host if he competed?” Gwen added. “I can’t see Leon doing it.

Merlin shook his head. “I can’t see anyone else being loud enough.” Merlin turned his attention to the match. “Besides, you and I both know he couldn’t stand being anonymous during this whole tournament. Who are you supporting?”

Gwen lifted the scrap of blue fabric in her lap. “Blue. Specifically the blue diamond.”

“Are you sure that’s who you want to support?”

“Why? Do you know who it is?” She shoved Merlin when he said nothing. “You do. Tell me!”

“Nope, that would spoil all the fun.” Merlin smiled wide, hiding the niggling feeling. When he looked at the roster, there was no blue diamond. Someone had entered late. And with a tournament like this, it could be anyone. He could hide his face. Perhaps he was sent to kill Arthur. He wasn’t competing, sure, but he was a stationary target, perfect for a long range attack.

“Merlin? Is something wrong?”

But maybe it was only a knight who signed up late and therefore nothing to worry about. “It’s been quiet and calm for too long,” Merlin muttered, putting his elbows on his legs and resting his chin in his hands. “This is Camelot; there is always trouble. What am I missing?”

Gwen put her arm around Merlin and pulled him into a hug. “This is just leftover stress from the transition. The coronation went smoothly, Arthur’s chambers are properly set up and decorated, invitations and announcements for the celebration were sent out, and you are settling into your new role as the head of the household.

“Don’t remind me about that one.”

“You know Arthur asked me to make you nicer clothes.”

Merlin raised his head to look at her in surprise. “Really? We’re talking about the same Arthur here? Or is the Steward’s name Arthur too?”

“No, silly. His name is Kay. How did you not know that? Yes Arthur asked me to get you nice clothes. He tried to say it was because he was king now and didn’t want you to give a bad impression, but you know he really cares. He even knew what colours you prefer.”

Merlin put his head on Gwen’s shoulder. The crowd cheered as the green circle knight unhorsed the knight in black circles. “Still worried though.”

“Hey, come on now. Enjoy your time off. You always take on too much responsibility. You aren’t the only one who cares about Camelot and the king. There are knights, guards, and everyone who works in the castle. You aren’t alone, so stop acting like you are.” Gwen glanced up at the angle of the sun. “Up you get, you and I are going to have an early lunch at the Chalice. This moping is nothing food can’t fix.”

Instead of

Prompt: What are the things you choose writing over? What things tempt you away from writing?

This of course depends on the day, depends on the story, depends on the sunspot count on the sun.

Over writing I choose tumblr, talking about what I'm going to write, and baking.

I choose writing over homework, falling asleep in a boring class, and going to bed.

This week's writing is from my Merlin story. Quick background, Merlin is trying out disguise necklaces he made to allow someone else to perceive the wearer as someone different. So he is wandering around Camelot swapping disguises.

Favourite writing from this week: 

Merlin hung the necklaces around his neck and put the garlands back into the basket he had brought the supplies down in. First step first. If anyone noticed all of the necklaces he was wearing, he knew it hadn’t worked. Then it was just a matter of swapping disguises when no one was looking.

***

Gwen was hurrying to her workshop when she bumped into a young woman. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“No, no, don’t mind me.”

“Are you new here? I don’t think I have seen you around?” Gwen asked.

“I am helping out with coronation preparations, nothing more.” She brushed a hair back from her face.

“Do you need directions anywhere?”

“No thank you. I’m alright.” She hurried away and around a corner.

Gwen watched her go. Something about her manner of speech seemed familiar. But perhaps she was just reminded of someone in the market or someone who had helped in the past. Many people had helped at large feats in the past. Or maybe it was a girl who had been looking for a job in her workshop before Gwen told her to come back when she had learned more. It wasn’t terribly uncommon.

“Excuse me?” Gwen shook her head to clear her thoughts and met the eyes of an older man standing in front of her.

“Sorry, got lost in my thoughts,” she apologised. “Do you need something?”

“Do you happen to know where I can find Lord Merkel?” he asked. “I have a message for him.”

“His chambers are up two floors and on the right. If you need help ask one of the guards in that wing.”

“Thank you very much, my lady.” He bowed slightly.

“Oh I’m not,” she started to protest but drifted off when she caught his wink. Then she only rolled her eyes and continued to her workshop. She had to prepare for a fitting.

***

Arthur answered the knock at the door himself, seeing as his servant was mysteriously still missing. He didn’t think the decorations would take this long. A older woman he didn’t recognise was standing at the door, hands clasped behind her back. She gave a deep bow.

“Your highness. I have been sent to tell you that it is time for your fitting.”

“My fitting? Whatever for?” Arthur protested. This was not discussed with him. “I plan on wearing my chainmail like I have done at every other ceremony.”

“I’m afraid that is not the protocol, sire.” Her eyes didn’t leave the floor as she countered her king. “If you wish to argue, I suggest you take it up with Mistress Gwen.”

“I think I will. Tell her I shall be along in a minute.”

The woman bowed again and hurried off.

Arthur grabbed his jacket and marched off to the workshop. He was not going to stand for this. He was also not going to stand for Merlin not being there to back him up.

“You there,” he pointed at a man who looked like he might be a servant. “Do you know where my manservant is?”

“No, sire. Shall I look for him?”

“Yes. And tell him he can find me in,” but Arthur stopped, the man had already turned his back and left. Most unusual for a servant. Unless that servant was Merlin. However that man had short cropped red hair and was a more portly man than his servant could ever be, even if he ate an entire boar in one sitting.

Arthur marched on.

Complications with Invisibility

Prompt: Include a mirror as an integral part of your scene.

I saw this prompt and knew it would be good. I had an upcoming scene planned out and so my goal was to write my way there. And so I did. I finished up the story arc and moved on to the one featuring AN INVISIBLE BATTLE!!! I'm a little excited to write this. I think this will be the last episode arc I write before taking a break to work on other things in July.

Also, all the spells are in Latin if you are curious.

Favourite writing from this week: 

“I did!” he exclaimed. “I am totally invisible! See?” He spun in a circle, his arms out wide.

William looked up. As he couldn’t see his ward, he took a guess at where he was. “Congratulations. Although may I remind you that being unseen does not work as well for stealth if you keep talking.”

“Ah, right. Well I need to jot that down. Find a spell for silence.” A quill lifted from the table and flew across the room in Merlin’s hand.

“Also note down that things you pick up do not become invisible,” William advised.

Merlin stood in front of the mirror and saw only the quill in his hand. “Fiat fiet istud absconditum ab oculis pulsat eburno.” The quill melted from his view. Returning to his notebook, Merlin noticed the complication this presented. “Ah. That is going to make things difficult.”

“What is it?” William asked. “Can you undo the spell?”

“Not that. Although let me try that first. Quarum sacra fero dimittere placendi.” He looked again and saw both the quill and his own body. He walked back to Sir William. “If I make the quill invisible, it is invisible to me as well. Just as I can’t see myself, I also can’t seen anything I make invisible.”

“That is going to be difficult. I expect that it will become easier with practice. Already you do many things without needing to see them. If you had to look at your feet in order to walk, you would run into everything instead. Just like any other skill,” William said.

“Practice makes perfect,” Merlin finished. “I know, you have told me thousands of times. I guess that means I have to practice then.” With the thrill of mastering this spell, Merlin’s spirits wouldn’t stay down for long. “You’ll see me later. Et facti sunt abscondita est ab oculis triae. Sit enim corpus meum de indumentis occultatum est ut exsisto I.” And he vanished from sight.

All the Alliterations

Prompt: Make 3 writing related confessions

1. I have an unhealthy love of alliterations. There is an incredibly high chance that any chapter title, or even story title, of mine will be an alliteration and I will have been gleeful while brainstorming.

2. Whenever I can, I slip in accurate astronomy. If I mention the moon, I know darn well what phase it is in if you can see it at that height at that time of day. I will mention planets being seen, and in my scifi story, well, that one practically revolves around astronomy.

3. I unashamedly write in class. Most of the time if it looks like I am taking intense notes in class, I am probably writing a story. This could be random brainstorming, small sections of outlines, or just writing the story itself. This is usually to help me stay focused in class, I kinda need to keep my hands moving, especially if I'm tired or bored in class.

This bit of writing was completely unplanned. There was never going to be a trial, there was never going to be a visit to the dungeons, and it was not going to go darker like this. And yet, I really like what the fingers typed.

Favourite writing from this week: 

It had been dark for hours when Merlin crept down the stairs into the dungeons. Lancelot was the ranking guard and when she saw Merlin approach he sent his subordinate to do a quick check on the other end of the dungeons. With an exchange of nods, Merlin came down the stairs the rest of the way.

Lancelot expected Merlin to just walk past, but he stopped first.

“I need your opinion on how well this disguise works.” Merlin lifted a metal pendant on a cord out from under his tunic and pressed one of the markings. To Lancelot’s eyes, his friend appeared to ripple like a disturbance in a lake and then a new person stood before him. “What do you think?”

When he spoke it was slightly deeper. “Do I look like myself?”

Lancelot brought a torch from the wall closer to see better. But even with the additional light, it did not look like Merlin. He shook his head. Merlin beamed and Lancelot had to stifle a laugh. “No disguise can hide that smile though. Try not to be too happy about the interrogation.”

Merlin schooled his features again. “I won’t.” With a nod of thanks he put his hood back up and walked to the end of the row, stopping in front of the cell holding Usco. Knowing the other prison guard would likely return, he wordlessly cast a charm to erect a sound barrier. Then he waited.

It didn’t take long for the prisoner to open his eyes and see his visitor. He quickly sat up and grabbed at his waist, forgetting that his blades had been confiscated. “Who are you?”

“It matters not. What matters is that you tried to assassinate Prince Arthur.”

“So. What’s it to you?” Usco leaned back against the wall, arms folded across his chest.

“You were not working alone. Who was your contact?”

“No one.”

Merlin snapped out a word and Usco sucked in a sharp breath, his hand now cradled against his chest. He looked up at Merlin.

“That is a lie,” Merlin said. “Letters were found in your room.”

“You have magic.”

Merlin continued over his astonishment. “Even now they are being translated.”

“Why would you protect the Pendragons?”

Again Merlin paid him no mind, his voice remaining even. “It would be in your best interests to tell me who you work for before I find out the long way.”

“What can you offer me? I am going to die in the morning. I doubt you would free me.”

“In my time living in Camelot, I have seen many executions. And if I have learned one thing, it is that they are imperfect. They take a long time. You should be grateful your death is not by pyre. Those take the longest. An average of eleven minutes longer than beheading. Seven minutes longer than hanging.” He paused, letting that detailed knowledge sink in. Merlin wished he did not know the statistics. He wished he had a small data set. “You know I have magic; I can control just how long yours will last.”

Usco seemed to consider this. Merlin waited patiently. Mostly. “The next patrol will come this way in five minutes. Decide quickly. How much pain do you wish to experience?”

He stuck his chin up proudly. “You can do what you want. I want to see Camelot fall. I will do nothing to help you. Make it as painful as you wish. I will still be dead and my masters will know I haven’t betrayed them.”

“Very well then.” Merlin walked away, cloak trailing behind from his long strides.

“Have fun decoding the letters,” Usco called after him and Merlin wanted to groan. Not only were they in a rare language for these parts, but they were in code too.

The Dais of Dull

Prompt: Make a character overreact to something.

Playing catch up this week. I'm having so much fun writing this story. I am very tires so straight on to the writing.

Favourite writing from this week: 

Merlin was incredibly grateful that he had a day of rest at the druid camp before needing to head back to Camelot. He had danced until sunrise with many of the others druids who had not dropped off to sleep sooner. It seemed a far longer walk back to the cave in the morning, but when they arrived he was beyond grateful for the lack of sun shining into the cave room he was sleeping in. Although with how tired he was, it might not have made any difference.

But thankfully he was rested enough because Arthur was not shy in heaping chores upon him when he returned. In a few days, Camelot was to hold it’s own celebration of a good harvest. This one in the form of an open tournament.

Traditionally, only knights were able to compete in the tournaments. There were only two exceptions: the Decennial Tournament–a tournament held every ten years with no rules‒and the Harvest Tournament. Although perhaps it would be more accurate to say tournaments, plural. There was the normal tournament for knights and a lower circuit for anyone to compete in. Ths was usually guards, although sometimes an odd commoner or fifth son of a fifth son from another kingdom would compete.

Winning the lower circuit tournament would result in knighthood. It was an honour fought for fiercly.

This year, Merlin would actually have less work to do as Arthur would not be competing in the tournament. His father wanted him to host it this year; a duty Arthur was not happy with. “It’s going to be incredibly dull,” Arthur complained. “I have to sit on the dais and watch people do all the fun fighting. Do you have any idea how dull it is to watch when you can’t partake?”

“It is. I have been competing every year since I was ten and my instructors decided I was skilled enough to make it through the first round.” Arthur smiled at the memory. “Looking back, they may have just agreed to stop my pestering. I certainly came nowhere near winning.  And now I have to sit and watch again.”

“Don’t forget you have to give a speech as well,” Merlin said.

Arthur only groaned and dropped his head to the table.

“I’ve already written it for you. It’s on your desk when you are ready to face your responsibilities.” Merlin pretended not to hear the muffled denials of ever being ready. “I’ve got things to do in town before the evening rush. I’ll send someone to clear away your supper.”

Arthur merely flapped a hand in dismissal.

Deliver Dramatic Line, Vanish

Prompt: “It’s time to leave. And there’s no coming back.”

I don't remember where I had planned for this quote to go, but when I looked at the prompt again this morning it was a perfect line to add into what I had written the previous day. A great ending line by a mystery character as you will see below.

I've been moving along great on this story and I am very excited. I have a month more to work on this before I turn my writing attention to 007 Fest and write mostly Bond fics for the month. Most importantly, my beta should be returning from her vacation soon and I can't wait to see what she thinks of how this is coming along.

Favourite writing from this week: 

“Ah, there he is,” Arthur said when the riders broke out of the trees. “You said you would have strawberries; I don't see any.”

“I said no such thing.” Merlin countered. “Those aren't in season anymore in Camelot. For that matter, neither are the fae.”

At that, the mounted men drew their swords and Arthur did the same. He pointed it at The girl’s heart.

“Arthur?” she asked, voice shaking. “What is going on?”

“You can drop the act,” he replied. “We know you are not Guinevere. You are an imposter.”

“What? Of course it is me,” she protested.

Arthur waved his free hand and the guards held up their disks. Spread about the circle, she couldn't escape seeing the magenta glow.

With a very unnatural snarl, she dropped the guise. She was still the same height, but nearly everything else changed. Her cloth dress became moss, her skin the colour of soured milk, and eyes a vivid green. Her ears lengthened and stuck out from her frizzy hair.

Arthur backed up a step, but the sword in his hand remained steady.

“I was so close,” the creature sneered. “You would have been disgraced, flirting with a serving girl. And then what would the world think of the shining Prince of Camelot?”

“The world would think no worse of him,” Merlin said in a quiet, stern voice. The gancana turned to look at him. “They would see a prince who chose love over political gain. They would see hope for a Queen who could understand the problems of the common people. They would see a prince who is his own man, not a duplicate of his father.”

She cocked her head to the side and looked more closely at the man speaking. He was not holding a sword, he was not one of the shiny men who could hurt her. And yet something in the way he spoke made her fear him more than the others. The sword to her chest seemed far less worrisome than provoking the wrath of this man.

Arthur was also surprised by the tone of Merlin’s voice, but before he could add anything further, a crack of thunder was heard and a woman appeared in the clearing. A flowing midnight blue and black cloak danced in a nonexistent wind.

“I’ll be taking this one off your hands,” she said imperiously. With a firm tug, she pulled the gancana away from Arthur. “She will bother you no further. You can return those disks,” she spat the word like a curse, “to the vaults. Or better yet to the hellfires of the earth.”

Pinning the gancana with her stare, she said sternly, “It’s time to leave. And there’s no coming back.” She gave a slight nod in Arthur’s direction and vanished as fast as she had come, taking the creature with her.

A Dusting of Magic

Prompt: Subtly mention something strange on the mantle

I have had a busy couple weeks and I thought this one would be a prompt I would have to catch up on way later, but I realized that I actually did include it in my writing this week. I guess my subconscious does wordbound better than I.

I am also very pleased that this Merlin fanfiction is coming together really well. I struggled a little trying to balance summary with prose in the last arc, but it is going smoothly in this arc so I am feeling much better.

Favourite writing from this week: 

When Merlin arrived the next morning to serve Arthur his breakfast, he noticed an elaborate display of flowers on the mantelpiece. When he asked the prince about them, he refused to say who they were from and Merlin let it drop. Over the next week, Merlin continued to take his polishing duties outside to sit in the garden with Gwen while the weather was still pleasant. And each evening Merlin found more flowers in Arthur’s room. It wasn’t until the 25th of September that they noticed anything amiss. “Oh Gwen was telling me, well hinting at, okay she implied, that she would like to have lunch with you in the gardens,” Merlin was saying. “Not exclusively with you, but she would like you to join us. Although I think she does want to have some one on one time with you, if you know what I mean.” Merlin waggled his eyebrows. “You must have been mistaken,” Arthur said as he pulled on his nightclothes. “No, I am very good at reading people and Gwen wasn’t being subtle.” “But I had lunch with her only yesterday.” Merlin paused in his cleaning. “Yesterday?” “Yes, yesterday. Do you need a reminder of how days of the week work?” Arthur stepped out from behind the screen. “No. Only, I had lunch with her yesterday. All this past week in fact.” He turned to meet Arthur’s eyes. In any other kingdom they might have assumed Gwen was having lunch with them both, or one of them was misremembering things, but this was Camelot. A tendril of dread curled through Merlin’s chest. “So did I.” Arthur sat down at his table. “That is who I got those flowers from.” Merlin straightened up and peered at the flowers. It was faint, it would require a closer look without the prince in the room, but he thought he could detect a dusting of magic. “This is not good.” “No.” “Before we jump to conclusions, I propose we continue as normal tomorrow but pay close attention to the chimes.” Merlin finished tending the fire and turned down the bed. “I’ll spend the day with Gwen again and you can laze around in here or whatever.” “I do not laze!” Arthur protested. “I have been working on reports and balancing taxes. All these extra duties my father has given me lately.” “Okay fine, stay in here working until Gwen comes again. Is she coming again?” “She never says,” Arthur said, climbing into bed. “She just comes if she is not busy. Never stays too long either.” “Well then we will both stay alert tomorrow. Goodnight Arthur.” “Goodnight Merlin.”

The Rule of Threes

Prompt: What are your favourite writing craft books?

I don't have a lot of these to begin with. I have taken very few writing courses; I mostly just write and learn from my beta readers. But one book that  has helped me a lot is Spunk & Bite. The title itself is a play on a small silver book that is also about writing craft by Strunk and White, but this version is specifically comedy writing. Now obviously this is not what you want to pick up if you are a stand up comedian, but it is also not a book to avoid if you don't write stories where humour is your main genre.

This gift of this book is that it teaches you about what your readers are expecting and how to subvert that. The rule of threes is one I use a lot. The first two items in the list are things the reader expects, but at the third, you turn it around. To build up a little extra suspense, make your description for each of these items increase. For example: On my bookshelf I have a small plant, a ceramic bowl from the market, and my very own expandable gateway to an alternate dimension. I think I can safely say you did not see that last one coming. But if I had put that first, or even second, whatever came after it would be lost in the reader's mind. This not only catches the reader off guard, but it directs their focus.

But let's turn our focus to what I have written this week, now that the semester is done. What's that? Not much? *sigh* My muses have abandoned me, but I have skeleton plots so I am able to say that I have started my writing project for the summer. It is going to be a challenge and I am excited. Set in my own version of the BBC Merlin universe, we are beginning in Uther's reign and heading through to the Golden Age. Along the way I will be trying to write chapters that will have two timelines in each; one before the magic reveal, one afterwards. This trick will be to get each adventure to connect even if they are separated by a few years. Like I said, it will be a challenge. Here is a bit from the very beginning of the story. See if you can spot the triplet.

Favourite writing from this week: 

“Well, I wouldn’t have thought you ready to rule two years ago.”

Arthur looked over to see Merlin’s twitch of a smile.

“Even if Prince Prat has a certain ring to it.”

Arthur scowled and shoved Merlin’s shoulder. Merlin shoved him right back.

“And I suppose you want to take credit for that?” Arthur asked.

“Well it was two years ago I decided it would be a good idea to save your life and ended up as your servant. Still not sure how that is a reward. But Gwen must get some credit as well. She will make a good Queen.”

Arthur snorted. “My father would never allow that. He has tried to arrange marriages for me before but the councilors have held him off, saying I must become my own man first before being given a wife. That argument won’t last much longer. And whoever it is, the marriage will not be for love.”

“And you love Gwen.”

Arthur nodded. “Very much.”

“Well, keep faith. Keep delaying your Father until he dies. I don’t mean I am going to kill him you dunce. But no one lives forever. And once he is gone, you are the highest power in the land. You can choose your own Queen.”

“You know, Merlin?” Arthur asked. “Sometimes, you seem almost—”

“Wise? Brilliant? Like a gift of a god come to bless you and guide you?” Merlin suggested when Arthur broke off.

“Trouble.”

“What?” Merlin gasped, overplaying the hurt. “How am I trouble?”

“In many ways, but I actually was talking about that.” Arthur pointed East where a column of dust was rising in the distance. “No one ride that fast unless there is trouble.”

Merlin nodded and they both stood. “Back to the castle then.”

A Damaged Reputation

Prompt: Something gets broken beyond repair

First things first, my Merlin fanfic is complete and posted! So far the feed back has been positive and I am relieved. I loved the story, but now it is time to move on.

I was so excited when I saw this prompt. I love breaking things in my stories and providing challenges for my characters. But as I wrote this week, I discovered a dilemma: I was at a point in the story where things were being fixed and information was coming together to give a more complete picture. The opposite of being broken. Then I remembered that sometimes, it doesn't have to be anything physical that is broken. And so just this afternoon I have arrived at the following.

Favourite writing from this week: 

With the lack of other readable text, they decided to leave the book with the doctor to study. They continued to fill her in on their mission and she updated them on some of the worldwide news.

Miraculously, other portals that had been dismissed as dormant were now showing signs of activity. Nothing had come through, however. Those in her field were still puzzled.

The news update earlier that morning had spoke about the Pertinax Scandal. Many scientists had returned home late two night ago after being missing for years, some only a few months, other nearly eight Gidea years. They were all saying that they had been imprisoned and made to work for the company. Currently the government was investigating and already more rooms of unwilling researchers had been found, nearly all had been reported as missing from a variety of different planets.

The investigation was still ongoing, but the reputation of the company had been damaged. Only time would tell how much.

Magical Security System

Prompt: There is a door. It is closed.

Did not leave my notebook behind this week! Actually, I did, but I did all my in-class writing on my phone so that it would be saved on google docs so it wasn't even an issue to begin with. So I will be posting my next chapter of a fanfic this Monday, even if it is a week late. I think there is only one more chapter to go and I'm kinda excited. Both to be able to mark it as complete and for some of the ideas I have for the last chapter.

This week's prompt lead to Merlin disguised as a woman in France during the Sun King's reign. The story had a perfect transition into it and I couldn't resit a magical palm reader as security to fit with the prompt.

Favourite writing from this week: 
   Merlin sighed. He had really forgotten how exhausting all this protocol was. But a spy is a spy and a spy tries their best not to stick out. That was the whole reason Merlin was acting as Maria. She squared her shoulders and strode down the hallway, heels clicking on the polished floors. It wasn’t too long before she reached her rooms. Thankfully this door was warded with magic so that only she could open it. No protocol nonsense here.
   Merlin pressed her hand against the door and, oh, it didn't open. Darn transfiguration charms. ‘Maria’s’ handprint is not the same as Merlin’s. A small trickle of her magic unlocked it and she made a note to change the key. But for now, she had reports to write and deliver back to England. Thankfully, Merlin had plenty of practice being a spy.